Afternoon at the Museum

Eli turned 4 on May 10th! We were invited to the Science Place Museum to celebrate this little man with lots of family and friends.
In the theme of "God's Mighty Warrior", there were balloon swords and helmets as Dennis so strikingly demonstrates. :)

The kids formed a line to be ushered from the party room to the museum exhibits. Any time Amity sees a line of anything, she says "All aboard!" I think she learned this from her Leapfrog train set that she plays with in her pack-n-play.

We forgot the stroller so Vivien participated in the party from this vantage point.

Nothing says Patagonia like a smocked dress, pink bow, and sandals!

After her zoo trip with the Connells yesterday, Amity was an expert on pointing out animals and then saying, "I scared of (insert name of animal here)." Then she would say, "C'mere!" to the animal. I'm not sure she really knows what "scared" means!

Amity and the birthday boy get ready to go plant some crops!

Collecting eggs from the chickens

Definitely a fan of the rocking horse!

Eli and Josiah were excellent dairy farmers!

See that look on Dennis's face? Yep, he is about to spray his sweet little daughter! And we wonder why she is cautious!!!

Riding her "tractor"The water room was super busy and the smocks were in big demand. I couldn't help but think about our last visit to this museum with Ella and how much Amity has changed! She was still a knee-walker back then!

Cousin Eiley is a HUGE fan of water!

And then there's this...

Amity got really serious and concentrated when she spotted the Lego table. She could have stayed there for hours.

Could she be the first girl to want to have a birthday party at the Lego store? Maybe she will be an architect?

Then again, she does look cute in a fireman's helmet!

Don't you feel safe while these two are on watch!

Especially with the assistance of this blue-eyed one!

Back in the party room, we enjoyed some yummy shield and sword cake made and decorated by Becky.

The kids got to decorate their own shields.

Vivien got to get out of the sling and enjoy some snuggles and smiles with Lolly.

Amity sat with the "big boys" from Eli's school and played with the knights.

What a fun afternoon! Thank you, Connells, for letting us be a part of the celebration!

Two are better than one!

A new tradition has been formed for these little ladies. When I go in to get Amity out of bed in the morning or after naptime, I take Vivien with me and lay her in bed with Amity. Amity loves to snuggle with her little sister. Today, we walked in to find Amity looking at a book. I laid Vivien in the bed and there was more snuggling and looking at books. Could I BE a happier mama??? :)

Front Yard Photo Shoot

They weren't exactly dressed for a photo shoot but we were outside yesterday afternoon while Dennis worked in the yard and it just seemed like a good idea.

Amity was naming all of Vivien's body parts in this pose.

Vivien wonders if sister is truly qualified to hold her.

Amity finally looks at the camera!

Thankful...

Dennis is facilitating the Bible study tonight with his group of guys from church. Because he was spending some extra time preparing, I did the bathtime/bedtime routine with Amity tonight. After reading this week's Bible story about Joshua and the walls of Jericho, there was a short discussion about how Joshua obeyed God and then it asked "Who should you obey?" "Who else?" Sometimes I can't tell how much she is taking in but when I read these questions, she immediately said, "I obey Mommy and Daddy" and then later went on to add, with prompting, aunts and uncles, grandparents, teachers at church, and Mrs. Etta.

She then climbed up in my lap for us to pray. I prayed first and then I asked her what she was thankful for. This question has previously not gone anywhere but tonight, I asked her if she was thankful for her bed and her soft pillow and then she kept going with "Mommy and Daddy" and the whole list of family, including Baby Vivien. So sweet! Of course, the list did end with gorilas so I am not fully confident that she gets the concept but I do think we are making some headway!

On another thankful note, I am thankful that Vivien is once again sleeping through the night and that she can now roll both ways. However, that does mean that we can't leave her lying anywhere alone now. She was on her playmat tonight while I was dressing Amity and Dennis was getting ready to leave. I heard her start to cry and, by the time I got to her, she was a couple of feet off the mat on the hard floor. Poor baby! She seemed to have survived the rolls and was happy to be laid in her comfy bed.

So much to be thankful for!

Date Night

The cousins came for a visit on Saturday while Aunt Becky and Uncle Dylan went on a date. Of course, this meant that a little baby girl got quite a bit of attention and, surprisingly, no whacks by the golf clubs! :)
A couple of rounds of golf were played

Amity enjoyed a serious (tongue out) game of soccer with her Daddy.

There were lessons on sharing...but not very many!

There was lots of pure cuteness...

Chasing from Crazy Uncle Dennis...this was captured of Eiley just as her foot came out of her sandal...she was MOVING!

Little hands helped add to our curb appeal

One little guy even wrote his name!

Baby Vivi just enjoyed the relaxing

Some people enjoyed being doused by Uncle Dennis as he watered the flowers.

There was more drawing...

and bucket-filling and sandcastle building.

Most importantly, a LOT of trusting! :) Would YOU trust this man?

Thanks, Aunt Becky and Dylan, for a fun date night with your kids!

Vivien is 3 months old!

Well, little Miss Vivi Leigh, you are definitely developing quite a personality now that you are three months old!

You are gradually becoming a better eater and, along with that, a bigger burper and spitter-upper but that is okay! We like a little girl with a good appetite!

You are trying out all sorts of new things like your exersaucer and your bumbo.

But you spend the majority of your time (and Mommy's sleepy time!) practicing your rolling skills. You can flip from your tummy to your back so fast and, as soon as we roll you back over, you do it again! I am so proud of you and your skills but I will say that I look forward to the day you figure out how to roll back onto your tummy because, as Mrs. Etta knows, you will not sleep on your back!

You continue to be the apple of your big sister's eye! She gives you countless smooches, hugs, and "I wuv yous" every day.

We already love you so much and can't wait to see more of your personality unfold. I think you are going to have a fabulous sense of humor because every time I change your diaper, you get the biggest smile on your face and your eyes crinkle up. That smile just takes the stinky right out! Well, almost! :)